Sweat trickled down Jesse’s brow as he reclined on the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBynIh3MJG
bleachers behind him. As he watched his classmates make yet another lap around343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6sfd5coz3
the track, his mind was consumed by one thought:
It was fucking hot.
Jesse had been forced to transfer343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNdXlOyemo
schools. It was close to graduation, he hadn’t wanted to leave, but his mom had343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZb00KnLlT
insisted. She told him he needed a “fresh start”. That wasn’t what he needed,343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwhMAR7YiI
or wanted, but what did she care? Now here he was, sitting behind the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4aDznvj3R
bleachers, avoiding the P.E. teacher, and this god-awful heat.
He turned to inspect the open field343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClfUWBTGug
to his left, and instead of green, all he saw was blue. Pale, icy blue. Jesse343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNCUOnXYdX
reeled slightly, taken aback by the sudden intrusion into his personal space.343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6yD0jnNoX
He hadn’t even heard the person approach, but here he was, sitting next to him,343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡov06yuNpl7
staring. Jesse takes in the boy. Everything about him seems mundane. His baggy343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78hWSXGl3I
clothes, his short cut, blonde hair, even the shape of his face was just…343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJaF88pOWV
ordinary. The only striking feature on him were his eyes. Devoid of emotion,343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHd6wX7zX84
they made Jesse feel like he was looking into a deep, clear lake. One you would343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw76tSBQkV
drown in if you weren’t cautious enough.
Throughout Jesse’s pondering, the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi5SH9svbW
boy had remained silent, and it was beginning to make Jesse uncomfortable. How343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfm44sQXcA
could such an intense, empty gaze like that not? He didn’t want to be343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTj2eXdS5Gd
the one to break the silence. What would he even say? He dropped his gaze once343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMVWbxDzyA
he realized there was no figuring out who this person was and waited for him to343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7aFirKgQJ
say something. After averting his eyes from the penetrating pools of blue,343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyiiA3iPp7
Jesse shifted in his seat, folding into himself slightly, trying to make343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9V0xSKTkK
himself invisible. Why was he just staring? The silence between the two343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSDEERibFO
lengthened. Jesse shuffled his body slightly and looked at the ground,343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyNWi6RX4U
uncomfortable with the kid’s overwhelming presence. He could feel his gaze.
Flicking his eyes back towards the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtIJyeSeam
boy momentarily, he catches the sight of the boy’s retreating back. His eyes343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQOp5kQZtB
follow him as he gets smaller and smaller, noting that the boy was far taller343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7K7XuMxxwf
than he had appeared. Far, far taller than Jesse was surely. Before long, the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVVk4Pp65l
boy was nothing more than a black speck in the distance, vanishing from sight.
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Dz99DmA4C
Jesse let343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypi5U6uJAY
out a breath, on he hadn’t realized he was holding, and tried to not let the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvumvkT5Sfi
events that had just transpired consume his thoughts.
As the final bell rang, a vast343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8yAk5kCyg
expanse of teens flooded the hallway. Jesse was jostled slightly as he fought343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdoJWv7YtU
his way through the sea of bodies. The sooner he emptied his bag into his343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00kEfrrBng
locker, the sooner he’d be back home, in front of his computer. Today had been343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59EnxEUZrB
yet another dull day; pretending to listen to the teachers drone on and on;343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhLfby6cO3
ignoring the petty cliques that had formed well before he had transferred to343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTYx6C6CB6
this lame ass school; barely stomaching shitty cafeteria food. The only343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfX0ODv8L4
memorable part of the day had been the mystery boy. Jesse couldn’t get his eyes343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TbVNInzh3
out of his head.
Having only been in this school for343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ICkSARWhK
a month, Jesse sure as hell didn’t know all the kids that went here, but he343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvT5ocr8ab1
couldn’t help but think that he would remember someone so off putting. He343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpALGGAN3GN
shakes his head of the thought as he reaches his locker. Failing to put in his343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1OhkuUeFF
code correctly the first try, he curses under his breath and spins the dial343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrToTiRSnp
around again. Finally succeeding in opening his locker, he begins stuffing his343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBDPr7OPfv
textbooks onto the top shelf, feeling rather impatient.
Just as he is about to slam the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAKVk02mEv
locker door, he overhears a hushed conversation two lockers down from his, and343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbkuVR0oVM
slows himself, pretending to search for something.
“…parently he just got back. I343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFLlUXQQ0a
don’t know what they were thinking letting that psycho back in.”
“Right?! Who knows what he’s343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YKGOJ6mLe
capable of?”
“I thought for sure he’d be343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInCii7pALv
expelled this tim…”
The voices faded from ear shot as343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cBFaCp8IY
the owners drifted down the hall towards the exit.
Sighing and slamming his locker343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJWxv7ctDr
shut, Jesse followed behind at a distance. He had no clue what or who they had343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMCv3pRihi
been talking about, but his stomach was turning knots.
He made his way out the door and343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7L1WU8vIVu
trudged down the road. He walked to and from school every day. It wasn’t really343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrurgn4Ye4A
that he had to, his mom would have happily come to pick him up if he had asked,343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTQi3czHAd
but he liked the solitude and silence of the short walk.
The driveway was empty when Jesse343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9b8DuHkh0
arrived home, telling him that his mother had not yet returned, not that he343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWT1w5kfkZ
expected her home anyway. She’d been coming home later since they moved.
Sighing, he slid his key into the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IWmCyIoOP
lock, but before he was able to unlock the door, a bang from his left startled343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqyk5tA31tp
him, making him flinch inward, his face scrunching up. Turning to look at where343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUeiSdZvV9
the sound had come from, his eyes grew wide. The tall boy was standing on the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNViZ3OSsr
porch next door, staring at him.
Again, Jesse noted just how cold343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezibeixmHU
his stare was. Pale blue eyes, void of emotion, bore into his own olive-colored343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvInOyO0Ip
ones. Jesse stared back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Jesse cleared his throat,343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbsOv9hGFg
hesitating a moment before speaking.
“Hi, uhmm… I’m Jesse. I moved here343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqRdATGw9I
last week. I take it you’re our neighbor?”
Jesse’s question lingered in the343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkCv1mxVCL
air as the boy continued to stare at him. Becoming even more uncomfortable with343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHojFEuEpeS
the kid’s intense eyes fixed on him, Jesse moved to unlock the door.
“Adam.”
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Jesse343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvFTum0vni
whipped his head back towards the boy as the screen door of the neighbor’s home343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJUTqCmjSF
slammed shut. 343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkC6fkmcx7m
343Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHtYQFeYpU
